AI Deployment’ll Move to Full-scale Production across Key Sectors In 2026 – Experts

Information Technology experts have projected that the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) will move beyond pilot phases to full-scale production across critical sectors of the economy, including banking, telecommunications, logistics, healthcare and government.

The president of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Tony Emoekpere, said the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector would no longer be defined solely by connectivity.

According to him, the industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation driven by artificial intelligence, automation, fibre-led broadband expansion and cloud-based enterprise services, developments that are steadily shifting the economy from a purely digital phase to an intelligent one.

Emoekpere noted that, despite entering 2025 amid significant macroeconomic headwinds, including currency volatility, rising energy costs, and mounting pressure from the high cost of imported equipment, industry operators demonstrated remarkable resilience.

He said telecoms and ICT companies were able to maintain service continuity, absorb shocks, and gradually restore growth momentum, underscoring the sector’s strategic importance to national economic stability and innovation.

He added that the next phase of ICT growth would be characterised by deeper AI integration across business operations and public services, with technology increasingly serving as a driver of productivity, efficiency and economic competitiveness.

He described the year as one of stabilisation and recovery, reaffirming telecoms as one of Nigeria’s most resilient infrastructure sectors.

The Vice President of Sales, Growth & Retention at OneData, Stephen Albert, asserted that the outlook for 2026 is cautiously optimistic, stating that demand for data, cloud services, enterprise connectivity, and digital platforms with AI is expected to grow.

However, economic and regulatory uncertainties remain, as the sector’s strategic role in national development positions it for gradual but sustainable growth.

Albert noted that while key growth opportunities in 2026 will be driven by increased demand for enterprise and campus connectivity solutions, Expansion of fibre-to-the-business (FTTB), and managed services, Digital transformation initiatives across education, healthcare, finance, and events, and Strategic partnerships between ISPs, infrastructure providers, and service integrators.

He, however, highlighted the risk and policy issues, including regulatory uncertainty around pricing and taxation, continued FX volatility affecting capital expenditure, Infrastructure security challenges, and power supply instability, as part of what needs to be tackled. Addressing these risks will require stronger public-private collaboration and more investment-friendly policies.

Albert added,” Despite ongoing challenges, Nigeria’s IT and telecom sector remains a cornerstone of economic growth and digital transformation, with 2026 offering opportunities for players that are agile, customer-focused, and innovation-driven”.

Similarly, stakeholders have asserted that a significant trend will be the emergence of localised AI models trained on Nigerian data, consumer behaviour and indigenous languages, as operators and service providers seek solutions that better reflect local realities.

Furthermore, automation will no longer be a luxury by 2026, but rather a survival strategy.

In 2025, operators were forced to focus on efficiency, infrastructure optimisation, and value-added services rather than aggressive expansion, Albert observed.

That mindset will deepen in 2026, with robotic process automation (RPA), AI-driven workflow tools and predictive analytics becoming mainstream in insurance, fintech, logistics and even public administration.

These tools will help organisations manage cost pressures, reduce downtime from fibre cuts, and improve customer experience in a market that has become highly price-sensitive.

Both industry leaders agree that infrastructure will define the pace of Nigeria’s digital transformation in 2026.

Emokpaere identified data services, fintech, enterprise connectivity and value-added services as the most significant gains of 2025, but stressed that progress in network expansion was constrained by the speed of fibre rollout, rising operating costs, and delays caused by Right-of-Way challenges in some states.

He added, “While service quality was largely maintained, the pace of infrastructure-led innovation, such as fibre densification and neutral-host models, could have been stronger with better enabling conditions”.

Meanwhile, Albert cited delays in infrastructure deployment, prolonged approval processes, Right-of-Way challenges and frequent fibre cuts as key constraints that increased maintenance costs and slowed service delivery.

Looking ahead to 2026, ATCON’s boss stated that priorities include explicit accelerated fibre deployment through open-access and wholesale models, such as Project BRIDGE, harmonised Right-of-Way charges, reduced multiple taxation, and full enforcement of telecom infrastructure protection as Critical National Infrastructure.

According to Emokpaere, the regulatory environment in 2025 was largely constructive. Hence, he lauded the Nigerian Communications Commission for playing a stabilising role through engagement and transparency. Yet he warned that telecom regulation does not exist in isolation, stressing the need for alignment across state and local governments for policies to translate into operational ease.

Multiple taxation, inconsistent Right-of-Way charges and infrastructure vandalism remain the biggest drags on investment velocity. Although the designation of telecom infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure was a very important and welcome policy step ATCON insists that 2026 must be the year when protection moves from policy to enforcement involving security agencies, public sensitisation and state-level accountability.

By the end of 2026, Nigeria’s ICT sector will be more data-driven, more automated and more indispensable to national development. AI and automation will underpin productivity gains, while fibre and cloud infrastructure will determine who leads and who lags.

As opined by the ATCON boss, “With the right collaboration between government, regulators and industry, 2026 can be a year of accelerated growth, deeper inclusion, and stronger digital foundations for Nigeria.

Similarly, Albert alludes that despite ongoing risks, the sector remains a cornerstone of economic growth and digital transformation, and that players who are agile, customer-focused and innovation-driven will define the next chapter.